Slotted Toolless Bracket for PDU

ABSTRACT

The present invention includes a bracket for more flexibly deploying a zero unit PDU on a rack. More specifically a 90° bend and a number of slots allow the manipulation of the PDU to avoid blocking cabling at the rear of a server rack.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/081,637 to Chan et al. filed Jul. 17, 2008 and entitled Slotted Toolless Bracket for PDU.

BACKGROUND

Racks are standardized frames or enclosures for mounting multiple equipment modules such as computer servers. A number of different standard dimensions exist in the industry for such racks. One such standard is a 19″ width, often used in the computing industry. This standard requires that each equipment module has a front panel that is 19 inches or 480 mm wide, including edges or ears that protrude on each side which allow the module to be fastened to the rack frame with screws. Rack-mountable equipment is mounted by bolting the ears of the front panel front panel to the rack. Note that equipment modules are given in standard heights of 1.75″, referred to as a “rack unit” or a “U”. A rack will come in many different heights. Many racks are sold in a 42U form. Therefore, it should be clear that a common rack may contain many equipment modules, for instance many servers. It is well known problem in the art of data center design and management that such racks that, as the racks accumulate servers and other computer equipment, they become very crowded in the rear due to the many cables for data and power for the many equipment modules. A number of other types of electronics are attached to the rear of the server rack for easy access to such cabling and to avoid taking space in the rack itself. This equipment is may be referred to as “Zero U”—as it takes up no space in the rack. One type of such of equipment which often is secured to the rear portion of the server rack is the Power Distribution Unit. A Power Distribution Unit (“PDU”) is a device that distributes electric power. PDU in this context refers to what amounts to a well-constructed power strip suitable for data center use. Such equipment as the PDU may be a Zero U device, with the advantage of not taking up space for other equipment in the rack. Such PDUs are typically mounted to the rear vertical server rails via a bracket, parallel to the vertical server rail. More specifically, a PDU may have groves or channels on its bottom to enable a PDU bracket to be mounted on to the PDU at any location along the length of the PDU. This PDU bracket may then be mounted directly to holes in the vertical rails of the server rack via a button mount which is fasted in a removable manner to the PDU bracket facing out from the PDU.

There is often not sufficient space for such a button mounting of a PDU—the volume of cabling will often make finding space for the PDU in the rear of the rack difficult. Therefore, there remains in the art a need for a method of mounting a “Zero U” PDU to a rack while avoiding blocking the data and power cables connected to the equipment modules mounted within the rack.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present invention includes an apparatus for the mounting of a zero unit PDU having gutters to a rack having mounting rails. The apparatus includes a base plate having a main plate with multiple holes and a first and second flange. The base plate also includes a thumbscrew penetrating one flange and attached on the opposite side to pressure plate. The pressure plate is used by the flange to press against the side of one of the gutters to secure the base plate to the PDU securely. The apparatus further includes an L-bracket having a first plate in the second plate. The first plate has penetrated by multiple parallel slots; the slots are each in a plain orthogonal to the line defined by the vertical mounting rail of a rack. The second plate extends orthogonal to the first plate face at a 90° angle. The second plate has mounting holes for mounting the apparatus to be vertical mounting rails of the rack. The parallel slots allow some movement and the 90° orthogonal L-bracket allows the PDU to be out of the way of cabling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 a is a perspective view of a base plate.

FIG. 1 b is a side view of a base plate.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 3 a is a perspective view of another aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 3 b is a planar view of another aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of yet another aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a base plate 2. Base plate 2 includes a main plate for having multiple holes 6. The base plate 2 also has flanges 8 and 10 coming off at 90° angles from the main plate 4 in the same direction and orientation. A thumbscrew 12 penetrates one of the flanges and is attached to a press plate 14 on the side of the flange opposite the head of the thumbscrew 12. A PDU having a pair of gutters along its sides near its back face (see FIG. 2 b) will have the flanges arrayed over the gutters. The thumbscrew forces the press plate 14 against one of the gutters to secure the base plate at a certain point along the gutters. FIG. 1 b shows a side view of the base plate 2.

FIG. 2 shows the base plate 2 with a mounting button 15 attached to holes 6. FIG. 2 further shows such a base plate 2 with mounting button 15 attached to a PDU 18 via gutters 20.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b show a perspective view and a planar view of an embodiment of the present invention respectively. An L-shaped mounting bracket or L-bracket 24 having a first plate 26 and a second plate 28 is shown adjacent to the main plate 4 of the base plate 2. The first plate 26 has 3 slots 30, 32 and 34. The second plate 28 has mounting holes 36. The parallel slots 30, 32, 34 are aligned such that they allowed the holes 6 to be not blocked.

FIG. 4 shows the L-bracket 24 of FIGS. 3 a and 3 b in application. PDU 18 has gutters 20. Base plate 2 is attached to gutters 20 via the flanges 8 and 10 and secured by the thumbscrew 12. L-bracket 24 is attached to base plate 2. L-bracket 24 has a first plate 26 which is attached to flush to the main plate 4 of the base plate 2 via screws 40, 42 and 44 passing through the three parallel slots 30, 32, and 34 of first plate 26 and the holes 6 of the main plate 4. The second plate 28 extends orthogonally from the first plate 26. A mounting hole 46 are provided in the second plate 28. The second plate 28 will be mounted to the rear vertical rails of the rack not shown.

The parallel slots 30, 32, and 34 allowed the PDU to be shifted in position to a small degree as the installer finds necessary, avoiding cabling which might otherwise block or impinge the installation of the PDU. The present invention therefore allows a zero unit PDU to be mounted in a variety of positions on the rear vertical rails of a rack while avoiding cabling at the rear of the rack. This avoidance is achieved both by the 90° angle the L-bracket places the PDU to with respect to the rear vertical rails, and to the ability of the parallel slots 30, 32 and 34 to allow small variations in positioning. Therefore a PDU can be more easily deployed without requiring the re-cabling of equipment currently secured to the rack, getting a different bracket or drilling new holes in the L-shaped bracket. Further the use of the thumbscrew 12 allows easy adjustment of the position of the base plate along the PDU without tools.

As will be appreciated, numerous variations and combinations of the features discussed above can be utilized without departing from present invention as defined by the claims. For example, the base plates and brackets discussed above may be composed of metal or other similarly strong materials such as high-impact plastic. Further, rather than screws other fasters may be used such as clips, bolts, or other such devices. Accordingly, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments should be taken by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation of the present invention. 

1. An apparatus for the mounting of a zero unit PDU having gutters to a rack having mounting rails comprising: a. a base plate having a main plate with two or more holes and a first and second flange; a thumbscrew having a head and a shaft, the penetrating said second flange and attached to a pressure plate on the opposite side of the thumb screw from the flange; b. an L-bracket having a first plate and a second plate extending orthogonal from the first plate, said first plate having two or more parallel slots arrayed in a plain orthogonal to the mounting rails, said second plate having mounting holes; c. mounting screws for attaching said first plate to said main plate through the parallel slots and the holes; and d. wherein said first and second flange embrace the gutters of the serial unit PDU, the thumbscrew forces the pressure plate to secure the PDU in place; e. wherein said mounting holes allow the PDU to be mounted via screws to the vertical rails; and f. wherein the parallel slots allow the PDU to be moved a small amount along the slot direction and wherein the PDU will be mounted at a 90° angle to the racks mounting rails. 